


Mamma Emrys

by BreeZ_Claire



Series: As Days Go By [4]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bromance, Comedy, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-17
Updated: 2013-01-17
Packaged: 2017-11-25 21:10:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/642989
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BreeZ_Claire/pseuds/BreeZ_Claire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur and the boys fly in Hunith to surprise Merlin. Will wants to fill the tips jar. Erectile dysfunction may or may not be mentioned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

" _They seem like such nice boys, I don't know why you talk about them as if they're animals."_

Merlin sipped his coffee and suppressed a sigh. Of course they _seemed_ friendly enough, but that was only because she didn't have to live with the lot. When Merlin brought his mother, Hunith, home from the airport for a tour of his apartment, they were both shocked – for very different reasons mind you - by the three perfectly well-mannered, polite and courteous young men that greeted them just beyond the doorway.

Fresh coffee was already brewing, and breakfast was being laid out as Gwaine charmed Hunith into a chair near the kitchen island. Merlin walked in cautiously, wondering just what had happened between him rushing out early Christmas morning to the airport and the time it took for him and his mother to get back. The floors that had been littered with wrapping paper and boxes the night before – or early that morning if you want to be technical about it - were now all vacuumed and cleaned, empty cups of hot chocolate were now no where to be seen, and everyone looked as if they were about to break out into a musical number out of the Sound of Music. Something was downright fishy.

"Why Ms. Emrys, I can see where Merlin gets his striking good looks from." Gwaine winked innocently at the woman sitting in the chair who giggled at the complement.

"I hope you had a good flight Ma'am." Arthur had his hands behind his back and dipped his head forward in a little bow. Hunith touched his arm and smiled warmly.

"It was wonderful Arthur, thank you so much for the tickets; I've never flown first class before!" Arthur, the sneaky prat, had managed to track down Merlin's mother and fly her to Manhattan to surprise Merlin on Christmas Day. Of course Hunith had contacted him before the flight and ruined the surprise, but what was a mother to do when she hadn't seen her son for so long and missed him so dearly? Merlin didn't mind picking her up at the airport though; he's missed her too.

"May I offer you some coffee or tea?"

"And breakfast of course!"

"Oh no, that won't be necessary Lance, Gwaine." Merlin decided to step in before his mother was bombarded with the charming smiles of not one, not two, but three handsome men. God forbid they should use their sparkling white teeth for evil…

"Oh, but Merlin they already prepared everything for us." His mother leaned her head against him with a small pout while Merlin scowled at the three men giving him matching smirks perfectly disguised as smiles.

"Yes, Merlin, why make your poor dear mother walk all the way down the street when there's perfectly good coffee right here?" Gwaine gave him a disapproving look.

"In the comfort of our nice, warm, homely home." Lances eyes were wide and innocent.

"In the company of your three favourite flatmates." Arthur grinned so brightly Merlin was almost scared his face would split in two. Almost.

But to hell if they thought they were going to pull a fast one over him. God only knew what sorts of chaos would erupt from letting his mother near these three for more than a few minutes. Between Arthur's negotiation prowess, Lance's genuine smile and bedside manner, and Gwaine's quite obvious sex appeal, they'd probably end up turning his mother against him completely – dear Lord did he just mention 'sex appeal' and 'his mother' in the same sentence? _God!_ They'd be known as the Golden Boys and Merlin would be the son that complained too much about these – quote unquote- perfect young men. There was no way in Hell Merlin was going to let that happen. No sir-ry.

But the coffee… Merlin caught a whiff of the slight hazelnut scent and his head began to swirl in euphoria.

The new coffee makers –yes, plural— Gwaine had bought Arthur and Lance were busy brewing two types of equally expensive coffees. Merlin knew they were evil, but he had no idea just how evil these three could be. He knew in that instant that Gwaine, Lance and Arthur had snuck into his room, stolen his phone, and snuck a peek at the itinerary he and his mom had planned together. They knew Merlin would be taking his mother to the popular café down the street. They knew that the coffee makers at the café wouldn't stand a chance against the ones Gwaine had bought. Nor could their baristas stand a chance against Lance and Arthur.

Between Lance's medical degree and Arthur's studies to pass the bar, the two had built up enough years of late nights, all-nighters, and then some between them to perfect the brewing of coffee. From decaf to espresso, Columbian to Irish, black as night to way too much milk – Arthur had briefly fallen asleep while pouring the carton – those two knew their way around the art of coffee-making like no one's business. Combine that with their existing careers, Gwaine's amazing inability to wake properly until noon without a cup or two due to Mount Everest sized hangovers, and Merlin's unreliable writing habits, the four of them knew how much the other relied on coffee. So of course when Merlin had rushed off in the morning to pick up Hunith without the time to make himself a cup, his flatmates knew just had badly he was itching for the liquid pick-me-up.

Bastards.

Merlin caved because it was just too damn early. "Fine! But you three better be on your best behaviour." He grumbled as he went over to pour himself and his mom a cup of coffee.

Leaving his mother completely unguarded.

But in Merlin's defence, it really was just too early for a human brain to function properly. How was he supposed to know that his flatmates would choose then and there to pounce on his mother, asking about embarrassing childhood stories? But when he heard his mother utter the subject 'Dumbo' and 'tried to see if he could actually fly with those ears,' Merlin knew he had to step in.

"No! Alright, that's it. We're leaving. Goodbye!" In one fluid motion, Merlin slammed the untouched cups of coffee onto the table, grabbed his mother, and all but ran from the building. He barely had time to register the faint calls and jeers of his flatmates.

"Merlin, wait! We can still test that theory—"

"Studies have actually shown that—"

"Oh _Mer_ lin, don't run away!"

The lecture he received in the elevator from his mother had been even worse in that it proved his theory on Overexposure to Three Charming Prats. She was officially on their side now. The lecture had continued all the way to the café where they both sat now, sipping in the warm, delicious heaven.

"They seem like such nice boys, I don't know why you talk about them as if they're animals."

Merlin frowned after taking another long drink from his mug. "You don't know them like I do mother."

Hunith's warm hand found her son's. "On the contrary my boy, I do know them. From all the emails you've sent me over the last months it's become clear to me that you've found yourself a new home here with these three men. And it seems you care more about them than you let on." A mother's knowing smile seemed to crack away at Merlin's shell. He laughed warmly and looked down at his bright green coffee mug.

William's Café was known for its lounge-like atmosphere and expertly brewed coffee. It was a small family owned business and a place where regular customers were known by their first names. It could've been taken out of a scene of _Cheers_ or _Friends_.

The walls were decorated with golden brown wallpaper laced with simple designs and had white boarders lining the large, almost wall-sized windows. Where the coffee bar was stationed, a royal red brick wall was covered with hundreds of cabinets all containing a different type of coffees, syrups, or powders. Much to Merlin's relief, the café was open almost twenty-four hours and always had seats available for whoever wished to occupy them whether they be benches or tables near the windows, couches on the main floor, or regular chairs and tables. He would usually come by in the evenings when service had died down in order to work on his laptop when the apartment became too loud to handle with human ears. This was one of Merlin's safe havens, a place where he could escape to and work in peace and it was no surprise to the owner when he found Merlin spending a night or two on the break room couch. He was glad he had an inside connection in the form of one of his closest friends.

"Well if it isn't the aspiring writer himself, Merlin Emrys!"

"Will!" The two boys shook hands and exchanged claps on the back before Merlin took his seat, pulling up another for his friend. "What have you been up to? How's life treating you?"

"Oh you know same old, same old, and not too bad if I do say so myself. Hello Ms. Emrys, long time no see." Will beamed and hugged the woman who was like a second mother to him, just as he was a second son to Hunith.

"It's been too long William, how is the family?"

"Last I heard, still touring Europe on their second honeymoon. Halfway across Rome I should think." Will's parents had set out across the world, leaving their son to handle the café on his own. While some, especially Merlin, were afraid the café would take a tumble down the proverbial stairs and end up in flames, Will had a surprising knack for business. Combined with his warm smile and ferocious sense of loyalty – he'd once knocked out and thrown out a young group of teenagers who had not so accidentally tripped a blind regular without even giving them the chance to begin the word 'sorry' – the stream of customers never seemed to end. "So what are you two doing here? Going to put on a show for us Merlin? You know, people have been asking for you." Will wiggled his eyebrows at his friend who scoffed.

"I still can't believe you talked me into that."

It was early one morning when Will had invited Merlin over to check out the new stage they'd just had built in. Now the café also housed live music by whoever wished to perform, usually upcoming performers or bands who wanted to try out their talents in a friendly environment.

Merlin had been waiting for Will to brew him a cup of coffee and had been mindlessly fingering the old piano that had been moved and repaired from the storage room in the basement when the two began joking around about forming a two-man band. It was a random thought that surfaced and failed in college, but Will declared it was only because Merlin didn't have a decent enough band to back up his more than decent vocals.

He must have dozed off while still playing (same as he would when typing) because the next thing he realized, he was staring into the eyes of a very full house. Will later told him that he'd been putting on quite the show and the customers couldn't get in fast enough. With a crowd of expectant eyes on him, Will had slung an arm around Merlin and introduced him as their first performer to test out the William's Café Stage and Merlin had no choice but to grumble curses at his friend before turning back to the piano to perform a quick song. Ever since then, Will had been trying to get Merlin back on stage every time he walked through those doors. "I was half asleep when you pulled me in that day."

"And you still look half asleep, is that lawyer boss of yours still working you to the bone? I heard from Freya you were working on Christmas Eve." Will didn't even try to hide the bitterness in his voice. "What sort of turnip-head makes his employees work on Christmas Eve?"

"It wasn't really like that…" He proceeded to explain the scene that awaited him when he arrived home, earning him an 'aww, how sweet!' from his mother and a scowl from Will.

In the end, Will just rolled his eyes and waved a dismissive hand, and turning to Hunith he said, "You haven't heard Merlin perform for some time haven't you Ms. Emrys? I'm sure you'd like to hear him sing again."

The woman just smiled warmly, remembering a peaceful time when she would walk back into her suburban home to hear the light tunes of a piano and a voice she was certain belonged to an artist on the radio.

"Oh it has been a while, but I'm sure we'll have another time for that. I'm here for the entire week after all." She patted a slightly deflated Will on the arm and suppressed a giggle when the two boys exchanged a silent conversation between them.

_You're going to have to perform for her._

_I will, but not today. I've had no time to practice._

_Oh please! As if you_ need _practice._

_You just want me to perform so you can fill up the tips jar and spend it all on gum balls._

_Ha! Gum balls? That was_ so _twenty years ago Merlin, now it's more like gummy bears._

There was a long pause before the two erupted in laughter, and Hunith found herself laughing along with them. It was as if the boys before her were five years old again and sneaking their way into the Halloween treat basket before dinner.

"Another time this week then," Will patted Merlin on the shoulder and stood up. "You'll help him stick to that promise won't you Ms. Emrys?"

"Of course William," She hid her teasing smile behind a sip of coffee knowing full well that Merlin would probably take out every single tactic out his how-to-get-myself-out-of-this-mess booklet that he'd been crafting since he was introduced to the meaning of chores.

Merlin sighed, "I can never win can I?"

"Seems not my friend," Will smiled before leaving the two in peace, taking his place behind the front counter and taking the orders of in-coming customers. The two continued to sip their coffee, enjoying the warmth from the loving atmosphere, the large fireplace in the center of the café, and each other.

"Where are we off to next, my boy?" Hunith linked their arms together as they braved the winter cold once more. Merlin looked down and gave her a bright smile.

"I thought we'd go visit The Magic Dragon."


	2. The Magic Dragon

The Magic Dragon was a small but homey unit, wedged somewhere in between a tea shop and an internet karaoke café in the downtown area. From the outside, it looked like any other make-shift magic shop - the gold dragon on the sign needed repainting and the 'g' in Dragon looked just about ready to fall off. But on the inside the space was expertly arranged to look like a mini mansion. Two round tables were place near the front entrance and were covered with potions, dolls, and necklaces of sorts.

The shelves lining the left and right walls of the room were filled with small books, charms, dream catchers, and other foreign objects and herbs. The back area of the shop was separated by a thin partition of beads and fabric and served as an employee lounge slash meeting area and included its own larger round table. The back wall of the employee's only room contained a large library filled with so many thick books that even with the shelves full, books had to be placed in neat stacks wherever there was available room. The large platform containing these book shelves could only be reached by climbing up a large ladder. Merlin faintly remembered climbing up and down the long ladders lining the large shelves on top of the platform, only receiving the occasional bump on the head when he hadn't been quick enough to catch himself when he slipped and fell.

Mother and son stepped out of the cold into the shelter of the warm magic shop. Merlin called, "Uncle Gaius, Auntie Alice? Anybody home?"

A little woman appeared at the door of the partition with a smile. "Merlin, is that you?" Her cornflower blue eyes searched the room before giving up. She reached into her pocket to fetch her glasses and gasped when she saw her sister-in-law and nephew, "Merlin, Hunith it is so wonderful to see you both!" She turned back briefly to beckon her husband out of the back room, probably with his nose in some old book again.

"Auntie Alice, Merry Christmas." The three, and soon four, exchanged similar greetings and many hugs before they all moved to the round table at the back of the shop.

Gaius and Alice were long-time friends and lovers and had fought equally long and hard for their life together. The two had a fairy-tale life; meeting when they were in love, separated after school, and reunited in old age to marry at last. They were a friendly couple that greeting everyone who entered their little shop (often asking for cures to their sleeping troubles or a good luck charm in hopes of passing their final exams). If Gaius was strict and valued discipline and hard work, Alice sought compassion, fun, and good health. The two complimented each other in a way that some seek for many, many years through trial and error.

"How are you my dear sister, in good health I trust?" Gaius placed his hands in Hunith's with a look of brotherly concern. Alice brushed off the dust from his royal blue robe; the only evidence of her husband's book reading adventures.

"I'm alright Gaius."

"I hope the Sorcerer's Chime I gave to you is still working well?" Alice's healing abilities were far beyond that of anything Merlin had ever seen. She could heal anything from the common cold to a broken back and did so without asking for much in return if anything at all. After all, it was still a business.

The Magic Dragon had a well known reputation that extended far across the borders of New York but only those close by in the neighbouring alleys were regulars in the little shop. It was an interesting situation that Merlin could only explain with the fact that people believed magic wasn't real. Not that Gaius, Alice, Merlin or Hunith would lead them to believe otherwise, but it was still a funny thought.

"Always has, Alice, always will."

"Wonderful." Alice turned to her nephew with a mischievous grin, "Now Merlin, when are we going to hear about that new lady friend of yours?" On a recent phone call, Merlin may or may not have let slip his little crush on Freya. He blamed the lack of coffee in his system.

Hunith perked up and said happily, "A girl?" Merlin fidgeted under her twinkling eyes. _Uh-oh, here it comes._ Gaius and Alice exchanged smiles and the onslaught began:

"Will we be meeting her any time soon?"

"What does she look like?"

"Have you asked her out yet?"

"And what about grandchildren?"

"Grandchildren? Merlin, are you ready for such a responsibility?"

"Does this girl even know about your _you-know-what_?"

"G-grandchildren?" Merlin's eye could've shot right out of their sockets then. He began flailing his arms around, completely overwhelmed. "N-no, I haven't… I mean…She's great but…I-I haven't…but...uh…"

"Oh honey it's okay. No rush." Hunith smile reassuringly.

"I just hope you're using protection." Alice said seriously. Hunith gasped and grabbed his hand.

"Merlin! You barely know this girl and already you're sleep with her?" The three stared at him as Merlin shook his head violently, holding his arms up in protection.

"N-no! Mother, it's not like that! We haven't even –"

"Oh love, I hope you're not having trouble in bed. If you need any help, I'm sure I have a remedy somewhere in the shop." Alice looked sympathetic as Gaius nodded all too knowingly.

"Erectile dysfunction affects warlocks too you know."

"OH GOD PLEASE STOP!" He was out the door in two seconds flat, cupping his ears and all but shouting at the top of his lungs 'la-la-la-la-la' like it was his new mantra, stopping briefly only because he rammed himself face-first into the glass door entrance.

**_xXx_ **

_**From Will:** _ _Erectile dysfunction? Really?_

Merlin stared down at the text on his phone and let his head fall back into his new La-Z-boy chair. It was his present from Lance who told him that if he was going to spend more time sleeping in his desk chair than his own bed he should at least have a top quality chair to do it in. He was still struggling to push that awkward conversation out of his head – he never wanted nor expected to hear those words from his Uncle ever - and luckily Arthur, Lance, and Gwaine were too engulfed in planning their New Years party to even notice when he came running back into their apartment. He sighed and texted back a response.

 _**To Will:** _ _It was the most scaring thing I've ever experienced_

 _**From Will:** _ _What about the time with Old man Simmons and the Cabbage Patch Kids?_

 _**To Will:** _ _…I thought we agreed never to mention that again…_

 _**From Will:** _ _Just checking. What's your week looking like?_

Merlin smiled and winced at the same time. Gwaine, bless the man and his connections, managed to get Merlin interviews with as many major newspaper and magazine companies in New York he could find.

_("But…how did you…what?"_

_Gwaine winked and slapped his back. "Connections my dear lad. Merry Christmas.")_

The following week had him on back to back interviews with the _Post_ , _Times_ , _Daily News_ , and _Wall Street Journal_. His magazine interviews ranged from _Time_ to _People_ to _Playboy_ and although Gwaine had done his best to nudge him in what he called 'the right direction,' Merlin extremely doubted he would be writing for Playboy any time soon. Merlin texted a quick response before setting his phone aside and checking his emails on the new laptop Arthur had bought him.

Really though, a La-Z-boy chair, interviews for his dream job, and a new laptop complete with its own fingerprint scanner and face recognition detector? What the hell? He'd never gotten the use to being given presents; in fact the thought always put him on edge. He was always more content giving than receiving.

With the help of Gwen and a hospital employee, Merlin had managed to gather up all the drawings from Paediatrics and Lance's office that had been drawn by children under Lance's care over the years. On his daily rounds, Lance would always take special time out of his day to visit the children, often staying just long enough to finish a story or accept the dozens of drawings that the little ones had drawn for him that day, promising he would keep them safe. It had taken Merlin almost a full week of cutting and pasting, but in the end Lance was presented with a large five-by-five foot collage square on Christmas Day. It was made in such a way that if one were to take a step back, the image of a heart – not the commercial heart of Valentine's Day, but a genuine human heart – could be seen in the center of the drawings of little cats and stick figure families.

Merlin had gingerly emptied his pockets to buy Gwaine a bottle of Domaine Romanée-Conti, which later caused the overly ecstatic flatmate to lift Merlin above his head and go on a raging rampage screaming 'For he's a jolly good fellow' over and over again. The man wasn't even drunk at the time…just very, very happy. It was a true testament to Merlin's patience and his wallet. He silently thanked Arthur for his job.

With a couple of hints from Gwaine and Lance, Merlin had bought Arthur his favourite coffee, compatible with the coffee maker Gwaine had bought him. On top of that, Merlin placed a glass jar of ungrounded coffee beans in Arthur's home office so when the man was prompted to enter his work room, ("Why am I the only one sent on a scavenger hunt Merlin?") he opened the door to a mouth watering land of happiness. Placed in the jar of coffee beans was a black, leather Aerowatch from the moon-phase 1942 collection complete with silvered guilloche with Roman numerals on the dial. In retrospect, it may not have been the brightest of ideas since Arthur spent almost all of Christmas morning holed up in his office contemplating the downfalls of eating his new watch.

He had been planning those presents for the entire year, saving up and searching for the perfect gifts. It wasn't really a question of money – Arthur had given him enough bonus' to last him a lifetime – because Merlin never really spent money, only choosing to expend his bank account when it came to writing materials which wasn't much at all since his Uncle owned so many books containing mythology and medieval times. His only concern was that he hoped his presents would be well receive, which they were. So he was happy.

Merlin was snapped out of his reverie by his buzzing phone.

 _**From Will:** _ _Interview during day right? Free during night?_

 _**To Will:** _ _Yea…no_

 _**From Will:** _ _No?_

 _**To Will:** _ _N.O._

 _**From Will:** _ _I didn't ask anything yet!_

 _**To Will:** _ _Didn't need to. Still saying no._

 _**From Will:** _ _Business will go bankrupt without you!_ _  
_

_**To Will:** _ _haha, as if_

 _**From Will:** _ _You promised Hunith!_

 _**To Will:** _ _Maybe when you agree to my free coffee for life wish._

 _**From Will:** _ _Are you trying to drive business down the hole?_

 _**To Will:** _ _Course not. It's the only thing keep you off my back 24/7! Going to bed. Long day. Night._

 _**From Will:** _ _Fine, fine, ignore me! G'night_

Merlin let out a soft chuckle. He had moved to his bed during their conversation and was now feeling the pull of sleep after the long day. He had called his mother earlier, making sure she was settled at Uncle Gaius' for the night and promised he'd be there tomorrow afternoon to pick her up to bring her back to the apartment. Lance would be staying at Gwen's for the week starting tomorrow, leaving his bedroom available for Hunith. It was an easy enough argument to make since Lance already spent most of his spare time at Gwen's anyways so Hunith had agreed without too much of a fight. As he closed his eyes he settled into sweet realization that the next week would be party free and swore he'd make the best of the next seven days starting now.

But the Universe decided to be an ass instead.

_**BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!** _

Gwaine's slurred speech was a battering ram on Merlin's door at three in the morning.

"Merrrrrrrwin! Come maketh some cookies wit meh!"

"…"

"Mmmeeerrr…" Gwaine's pitch gradually rose to dog-whistle frequency.

_Maybe if I don't say anything he'll leave me alone…_

"Cooooookiieess – "

"FOR CHIRST SAKES MERLIN, MAKE THE MAN SOME COOKIES SO I CAN SLEEP!" Arthur shouted angrily underneath a goose down pillow.

"Maybe leave some on the counter for us in the morning yeah?" Lance's room was next to Merlin's so it was obvious that he would've heard the entire conversation. How Arthur heard Gwaine from down the hall was a mystery.

"THAT GOES WITHOUT SAYING; NOW GET YOUR SORRY ASS OUT OF BED MERLIN!"

"Merrrwiinn!"

"Merlin?"

" _MER_ LIN!"

_**xXx** _

_My mom thinks these are the Golden Boys I live with._

_If only she knew what they put me through everyday…_

_Hi, I'm Merlin. I hope you can remember a time when 3AM was supposed to be a time for sleeping._

_Because I sure can't._

_**xXx** _

"Fuck my life…"


End file.
